My wife and I don’t have any children. In fact there are many times that those crying, screaming bundles of joy really get on our nerves, so why would we want to take a Disney vacation? The answer is simple, nobody does it like Disney- be it decorations, characters, or even just making a person feel welcome and pampered, they go the extra mile. When we were planning our wedding and subsequent honeymoon the answer was Disney, but just a regular stay at the parks, well that didn’t seem special enough. Enter the travel agent and her suggestion of the newly opened Disney Cruise Line. We were sold before even hearing any details, neither of us had ever taken a cruise before but it was Disney, what could possibly go wrong? Little did we know. What could go wrong? We could get hooked, and want to take a Disney Cruise every year.

We chose the 3-day land, 4-day sea option; three days at the parks then 4 days on the cruise. It was the best vacation of my life. It was the best vacation of her life. From the moment we got off the plane in Orlando to the minute we boarded the plane a week later everything was taken care of for us. From our luggage, to our meals, Disney had thought of it all. When we boarded the ship someone announced us over the PA, and then took our picture. We were then escorted to our stateroom, where our luggage was already waiting for us. It only got better as the cruise progressed.

Why a cruise, and why does it seem so expensive? Well for starters a cruise is different, it’s exciting, it’s exotic, it’s romantic, and it’s just plain fun. As for the price, well it may seem expensive until you figure in all your meals (yes they are INCLUDED!), room service, unlimited usage of the pools, shows, and even first run movies. With the exception of your drinks, souvenirs, and shore excursions, everything is included in that one price. So you want breakfast in bed at 8am? Included! You want a cookie and milk at midnight? Included! What? You want to see a movie before it hits the theatres on land? Included! On one of our last cruises we saw the “Princess Diaries” before it hit the theatres, on our first cruise we saw “Toy Story 2”.

What is there to do on the cruise, won’t it be boring? Unless you spend all your time locked in your stateroom I can almost guarantee that you won’t get bored. There’s something to do for everyone. While the ‘official’ meals are only served three times a day there are numerous places to grab a snack (included!), places to sunbathe, shuffleboard, ping-pong, 3 pools, hot tubs, character sightings, tours, the list is nearly endless. Let me break it down a little better for you.

For children:
Children will undeniably have a great time, and you will too because if they are happy chances are better that you will be as well. Disney has devoted nearly an entire deck to children. For kids 3-7 there is the Oceaneer Club and for 8-12 yr olds there is the Oceaneer Lab. I won’t go into details, but let me just say that it’s Disney magic all the way. You can drop your kids off in the morning then pick them up before midnight. The activities are designed to keep kids entertained, informed, and happy. I’ve heard that it’s pretty difficult to actually get your kids to come back with you, so I guess that means that they are enjoying themselves. The adults in charge when you drop your kids off will give you a pager which can be used to notify you in the case of an emergency or if little Tommy or Sally are in need of a quick “Mommy fix”. Kids will also enjoy Mickey’s Pool, a pool shaped like the Mouse himself, water slide included.

For Teens:
Disney wants to treat teens like the adults that they are becoming, so they created distinct hangouts for them on each ship. The Disney Magic has “The Stack” and the Disney Wonder has “Aloft”. Each of them has music, games, large screen TVs, and even an Internet café. These are places for 13-17 year olds to meet and hang out, on their own terms, and without their parents looking over their shoulders every second. In fact these hangouts are teens only, no parents allowed. Teens will also enjoy Goofy’s Pool, a family pool, but with all the kids going to Mickey’s Pool and the adults to the adults only pool that leaves Goofy’s Pool mainly for the teens.

Want to find out what the DCL has for adults? Or maybe you’d like to know more about the dining, exotic destinations, shore excursions, staterooms, or any of a myriad of other things? Check back for my next article, part 2.

Well that’s an earful – until next time, I’m Scott Short